


Sins of the Black Empire

by MHCavalier237



Series: A Factioned Earth: Imperial Records [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Cyborgs, Demons, F/M, Human Experimentation, Italian Character(s), Italian Mafia, Original Character(s), POV Third Person, Past Tense, Psychological Horror, Succubi & Incubi, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27520039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MHCavalier237/pseuds/MHCavalier237
Summary: World War II, a war of humanity and the gods themselves. Come the war's end and the world had split into three factions: the Realm of Light, with angels and gods of divinity; the Spectator Faction, inhabited by indifferent humans and creatures that have other pressing matters at hand; and the Black Empire, the realm of demons, deities of death, and the criminal underworld. Life went on this for nearly a century, with people devoting their lives to divinities, or recruited by the Archdemons.And Dr. Giovanni Capello takes great pleasure in his work for the empress.But when given a task of finding a powerful relic for Her Darkness, Giovanni encounters ghosts from his past, and is forced to reopen old wounds.Wounds that were fused shut with puss and tar.
Series: A Factioned Earth: Imperial Records [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011381
Kudos: 1





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nyarons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyarons/gifts).



> Unbeknownst to the secular world, what many believed to be the Rapture had already occured. Along with the warring between the Allied Nations and the Axis Powers during the years of the Second World War, were the great clashings between angels and demons. Zeus and Jupiter. Raiden and Lei Gong. God and Satan.
> 
> Before the world ended under the weight of pious warfare, and after the death and rebirth of many gods and demons, the deities came to a truce. Amongst one another, the deities would only aim for the prosperity of the Earth; everything balanced as all things should be. Where there is the brightest of light, there should also be the darkest of shadows. Finally, to make up for the loss after the humans’ war, the divinities of fertility came down to bless humanity with a surge of passion that was known by historians as the “Baby Boom.”
> 
> Now, the world exists in three factions: The Realm of Light, The Black Empire, and the Spectator Faction. Those in the Realm of Light have a tendency to wish for peace and harmony. Enforcers of the law, leaders of charity organizations, the Clergy, and even performers of community service have been enlisted by the Realm (notably by various angelic or holy beings). They are commonly known to follow a religion, whether it be the teachings of Buddha, the will of Allah, or the word of God. All who are enlisted will have their choice of an afterlife and will live in eternal bliss.
> 
> The Black Empire is behind every crime syndicate and extremist attack. Many servants associate themselves with organized crime, which include the Mafia, black market trade, and practitioners of the Dark Arts. However, most only prosper in life and eventually suffer in death. The only way one could possibly find peace in Hell is to have connections with the demons that work under the Empress; only then, will these followers of darkness have a chance at eternal paradise. _Be careful what you wish for._
> 
> Last, but most _certainly_ not the least, there is the Spectator Faction; with no discernible side, they do not heavily interfere with the world, or they simply do not wish to. These are the everyday men and women; only working to get their checks. They tend not to follow a religion, and their life is scaled to determine their final destination. To a certain degree, there are those that exist who are still ignorant to this massive change to the world as they know it; however, some Spectators are not of this world.
> 
> The Realm of Light and the Black Empire do not fight one another but rather keep each other in check. The factions were created to ensure that neither side can overpower the other. Although many of the mortals base their judgment on morality, a demon will only work with an angel if absolutely necessary; and the event will never be spoken of until the end of their existence. Orochi will only drink with Susanoo, if they both share a much larger threat. 
> 
> There is one “rogue element” that light nor darkness are able to control, a species of creatures known as the Peccatora. Also known as Sins, the Peccatora were unintentionally created by humans. In this aspect, the manifestation of Peccatora became ravenous beasts varying in extraordinary shapes and sizes; attacking and devouring humans, angels, and demons with no prejudice. The only way to truly get rid of a Peccatora is to use weapons of either devout holiness or cursed regalia, though, the Realm of Light tends not to meddle with the Peccatora. 
> 
> These sinful creatures are able to be seen by humans but choose to cloak themselves in fear of either the Realm of Light or the Black Empire vanquishing them. Only during desperate times for the Peccatora do they reveal themselves to the public, then becoming a massacre. Those that study Peccatora believe that they are responsible for every cataclysm, possibly created by genocides and other forms of massacres. In the days of old, the respective Deadly Demons would influence such tragedies, but humanity has slowly strayed from their influence. They have created beasts independent of demonic control.
> 
> In the past, the Black Empire has been able to cull the population for years; using even the smallest forms of magic to combat Peccatora; however, in later years, Sin has become desperate. Sin has become hungry. And most of all:
> 
>   
>    
>    
>    
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>    
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>  _They are_ _evolving._


	2. I: Trying to Pass the Time

Boredom. Nothing but utterly slow-paced... **_boredom_ ** . That's the only thing that Giovanni felt today. Despite him not having any jobs to do, he was fully dressed, with a yellow stiff-collared shirt, black vest, and dress pants to match. He flipped through channels, lying on the couch, eyeing the empty glass of wine. Even taking a nightly stroll on the Neapolitan streets didn’t seem to pique his interest. He continued to flip through the channels, searching in vain to search for something compelling to watch. The first channel he landed on was an American newscast, which Giovanni would only watch if he had nothing else to do. 

“This just in: Republican political candidate, Donald J. Trump is—” 

He quickly switched the channel.

“And Vinnie wonders why I don’t do jobs in America.” 

He switched to the next channel, this time revealing an infomercial.

“Are you tired of—” 

“Boring!” Giovanni pressed his finger down, changing the channel to an Italian crime show.

“—di passare le tue giornate da solo—” 

Already saw that episode. He switched to a German fantasy series.

“Dein Schatten ist nicht gerade hilfreich!” Despite being slightly interested, the remote seemed to float in the air, changing the channel to the weekly Spanish drama.

“Creemos que necesitas un—” 

Not his taste. Giovanni kept changing channels until he came across a French buddy-cop film. 

“—Un nouveau partenaire! Vous êtes trop extraverti pour travailler seul!” 

“Ugh, I don’t  _ need  _ a partner! I’m better when I’m alone!” 

Although it took him a moment, he realized that he was saying exactly what the other character was saying in French. He tried one more time, coming across a scene in a cartoon where it seemed that the main character was making a deal with the over-the-top villain.

“Trust me...would I lie to you?” The silver tongued fiend whispered to the main character. Giovanni rolled his eyes. As if able to see him, the villain glanced at Giovanni, giving him a chuckle and a wink.

He had enough. He turned the TV off and threw the remote aside (which he then picked back up, brushed off, and placed it in a labeled stand).

“Fuck off, Marcus!” He massaged his temples, took a deep breath, and let out a slow, drawn-out sigh. 

Giovanni tried to keep himself busy with chores that he had already done: dusting everything in the penthouse for the second time, reorganizing his books in different categories for the fifth time, polishing and oiling his brass prosthetic right arm for the tenth time—to the point where he could see his reflection on it better than his bathroom mirror (which was cleaned for the 15th time). He cleaned every bathroom to the point where you could eat barbeque-slathered pork ribs off of the floor, and washed his right eye-socket while his prosthetic wasn’t being used (which was also polished for the 15th time). 

Before he began to scrub the bathtubs with his ever-so-abundant cleaning products, he heard his phone ring from the living room. 

_ “Santo cazzo di merda _ , it’s about fucking time they give me something!” he said aloud while he dashed to the living room. He quickly scooped up his phone, but to his surprise, it was the ever-persistent scammer, calling for the third time that his car warranty had expired.

He sighed in disappointment as he made his way to the balcony, gazing upon the evening stars. He could visit Vincent, but he’s probably too busy making sure Ash hadn’t been arrested for sexual offenses... **_again._ ** Before Giovanni decided to take a nap on one of the lounge chairs, he was startled by a man with blood-red hair that appeared before him. 

He had a red stiff-collared shirt under his black business jacket, wearing a fedora to cover the small goat-like horns—signifying a higher rank than most creatures of his class. Every now and then, a barbed tail would whip back and forth, akin to a dog wagging its tail. The horned-man took a bow before Giovanni.

“Buonasera, Dr. Capello, we have an opportunity for you!” the figure exclaimed with excitement. Giovanni was intrigued, finally having  _ something  _ to do.

“Lay it on me, Rick, I’ve been going insane with boredom. What’s it gonna be: an expedition to Africa? A stern talking with the Sicilian Godfather? Perhaps there’s someone that needs to talk (maybe even stop)? I’m even willing to go to the USA while it’s on the brink of a second Civil War! Tell me!” 

The horned man paused for a moment, “...Rick?”

“Look, I’ve been with the Black Empire for over 20 years, I might as well treat you guys like equals, in fact, it’s overdue! Besides, names like ‘Carmine CEO’ and ‘Emerald Executive’ are too much of a mouthful; and saying Red Demon, and Orange Demoness makes it sound inhuman.”

“But...we’re not human.”

“Ah, you see...I don’t care.”

The demon sighed in confusion, “Anyways, we’ve heard rumors of a strange artifact from decades past, washing up on the coast near Beach Aquila. This artifact could contain strange properties that might be of help in culling the Peccatora population! Coincidently, Her Darkness is unaware of this artifact and as the Carmine CEO of Crimson Corp, I would like both of us to surprise her with such a commodity!” 

Giovanni was bursting with excitement, “Meet me outside in ten minutes with a small group of Reds and a Violet!

The demon tilted his head in confusion, “Why the Violet, Doctor? It isn’t like we’re going outside of Italy.”

“You want to get this done efficiently, right? Even though you and every other Chaotic Color can teleport to any location, every other way to Sardegna is either closed, or will take me at least an hour, and that’s assuming that the next flight isn’t hours away! Besides, I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to travel with a Violet!”

Rick sighed and a red flame engulfed him as he disappeared from sight. Giovanni quickly came to retrieve his right eye, which had a brass shell and a small camera lens. As he plopped it into the socket, the lens whirred to life with a neutral white light moving independently from his organic left. While slicking back his blond hair, he paused for a moment, as if listening to a conversation, his shadow moving independently. It made no noise, but Giovanni seemed to be in an intense argument.

“The hell are you talking about? ...I couldn’t say for sure what it could be...No, I am not going to forget the accessories again, I learned my lesson from Chechnya,” he replied as he grabbed a black Porkpie hat with a golden feather in its brim, and a black cane with a golden cobra for the handle. 

Before leaving, he closed his eyes for a moment,

“Alright, game face, here we go,” he said as he left the building with a smile on his face. A small group of male Red Demons awaited him. Only one of them had a fedora to cover their horns, most likely Rick. Midst the crowd was a feminine figure. She had flowing, raven hair with purple streaks, and wore a violet flight attendant uniform with ballet flats. Like Rick, she seemed to be a high-ranking demoness, wearing a small-cap to cover her horns. However, unlike any of the other Violet Demons he had seen (only during his passes through Hell), she had wings (which were only reserved for the Indigos) and had a heart-shaped tail. Giovanni decided to put all that aside and focus on the task at hand. 

“Buonasera, Doctor, where shall we go today?” the figure asked with a cheeky smile.

“Get as close to Aquila’s docks as you can,  _ Veronica _ ,” Giovanni replied.

The demoness tilted her head in confusion, “…Veronica?”

Rick sneered as he tore the cap off her head. “Doctor, I wouldn’t recommend naming  _ filth _ like her! She’s not even the stewardess of her own circle!” His remark made Veronica tense up, growling at the Carmine CEO. The doctor crossed his arms and gave a look of confusion.

“Well,  _ I  _ don’t see anything wrong with her,” Giovanni said, but it was apparent that neither of them had heard him. After a few minutes, the two backed down, and as Veronica picked up her hat, she summoned two batons, twirling them at insane speeds. When she tossed them into the air, both batons exploded, creating a large cloud of lavender smoke. With a snap of his fingers, Rick enveloped the rest of the Reds in a spire of flame, the group vanishing without a trace. 

Before Giovanni entered the cloud, Rick handed him a paintbrush and a pot of ink. One half of the brush’s handle was gilded in gold. The other half was as silver as the moon, along with a pointed-edge, as if to resemble a clock hand. The ferrule was divided into eight parts, each glowing a separate color: orange, yellow, blue, brown, green, purple, black, and white. The yellow bristles waved in many directions, like a dog wagging its tail. 

Giovanni placed the small pot into his vest pocket, saying to the demon, “I’m guessing I’m gonna have to give these back.”

“Affirmative, in 48 hours, the  _ Efudekuma  _ and the Kraken Ink will disappear and be returned to us,” Rick replied. The Carmine CEO vanished, and Giovanni was enveloped in the purple haze. He and Veronica were surrounded by thousands of black orbs. The winged-demon swiped through all the dots, peering into each orb. The doctor wandered around taking a look inside for himself. Most of the orbs had the same image: multiple tombstones, a dead tree, and black iron bars.

“You know, this is my first time with a Violet. Are  _ all  _ of your little  _ spawn points _ graveyards or desecrated churches?”

Veronica cleared her throat, “They’re called  _ Daemon Gates _ , Doctor.” 

“Er,” the doctor interjected. “I’m perfectly fine with Giova—”

She cleared her throat once more—though, her voice seemed to crack.  _ “Doctor, _ Daemon Gates are places that produce dark energy. The more energy in a place, the more accurate I am.” The winged demoness then placed her hands on a small orb, dripping with blood.

“This one’s pretty close to Beach Aquila, I guess. This here’s a warehouse that used to be owned by a serial killer. Well, before he changed locations when Interpol started closing in on him. It’s barely out of my range, so I think I’ll be fine.” Giovanni was about to ask what she meant by range but was wrapped in Veronica’s tail. He felt reality warp as an unknown force pushed the two inside the orb. They were violently squeezed out of the orb like toothpaste, and ended up in an old, rusted warehouse; walls splattered with dried blood and filled with decaying bodies. 

Veronica was staggering back and forth, almost falling into a puddle of unknown substances that gave Giovanni an anxiety attack the more he thought about it. The doctor caught her before she fell.

“Hey now, I still need a way home!” he said, chuckling. As the doctor helped Veronica out of the building, he occasionally glanced down at Veronica to make sure she was alright. Every now and then, he caught the demoness staring into his eyes, as if she was confused by his actions.

“Is there something wrong?” Giovanni asked. Her response was an exaggerated groan—one that he  _ knew _ was fake—but couldn’t tell why she was faking in the first place. 

Following the trail of singe marks on the ground, the two of them met up with the rest of the Red Demons. Veronica sat cross-legged on the ivory sands, a purple haze foaming from her mouth, eyes, and nostrils. 

“Is she going to be okay?” the doctor asked the Carmine CEO

“That is how the Violets regain their energy,” the demon replied. “You know, I still find it odd that you have been a servant for nearly two decades without using or even  _ knowing _ about Violet Demons. They are much faster than any  _ human _ transportation!” Giovanni shrugged his shoulders, 

“What can I say? I like first-class flights—and I like them  _ better _ when I get to visit the Bellucis!” He then clapped his hands together, motioning the demons to group up.

“Alright boys, split up into two groups and check both sides of the coast. Don’t leave  _ any _ rock unturned.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please take a look at @Kleptocrow and @arterci for some amazing art!


End file.
